Description
There are not that many Australian bulbs compared to other parts of the world, there are fewer Amaryllids, there are fewer still really good ones, but Calostemma, from south eastern Australia, is one of the best.
The small bulbs make umbels of about 20, attractive, yellow flowers each of which has a shallow trumpet, akin to a daffodil. These carry a faint, pleasant scent, evident close to the flower. It loses its leaves in summer, at which time it needs a dry rest before flowering and re-commencement of leaf growth in the Autumn. Seed, when produced, germinates on the plant, in the manner of many South African species and so it needs to be sown at once. There is considerable colour variation in the species in the wild and the plant offered here is one of these variants. Remarkably, it has purple petals but it retains a yellow cup. It is not a common variant at all, but it is not a hybrid as you might think, and it displays none of the characters of C. purpureum.
Possibly tender in the UK, but also, possibly growable outside in warmer areas. It likes a well drained, loam-based soil but one with plenty of organic matter present as well.
This really is an outstanding rarity in an even rarer bicoloured form and one we are delighted to list, at last. Incidentally, the combination and spelling of Calostemma luteum, is the correct one.
Introduced to our lists July 2020
